Advent Calendar
by Nightmares Grace
Summary: Just a fun little series of drabbles, one a day till December 25th. Damon gives Stefan an advent calendar in an attempt to rekindle Christmas for the Salvatores.
1. Day One

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries**

Stefan looked at the box before him; long and rectangular with funny little penguins and polar bears on the front skating around a rather large Christmas tree. Numbers decorated the box in no particular order. He knew what it was, but… "Why?"

The eldest Salvatore grinned, a hat similar to that the Rat Pack wore tilted on his head. "'Tis the season," he sang. "Forgive ye enemies, drink eggnog, and all that."

Perking an eyebrow Stefan searched for the first number. "We haven't celebrated Christmas in a long time," he pointed out. Aha! He found the number one on a blue colored penguin's Santa hat, but resisted opening it. For all he knew an eyeball could roll out as soon as he pressed down on the pleated cardboard. "And the last time we did it didn't end all that well."

Damon smirked playfully. "Everything would have worked out if the cops hadn't crashed it." He twisted his lapis lazuli ring. "Open one," he urged. "It's just an Advent Calendar. Chocolate and little goodies," Damon seemed amused at the thought of the 'little goodies' inside.

With a sigh, Stefan applied pressure to the hat. The cardboard caved in and the vampire pulled it back up to see what was inside. Damon grinned. "What is it?" Stefan asked.

"What does it look like, little brother?" Damon retorted with a roll of his blue eyes.

"A button," Stefan replied looking at it curiously. It was an old Civil War one from a soldier's coat, but it wasn't rare. Lots of people found bullets and buttons in there backyards along the East Coast.

Damon clapped his hands slowly. "I'd hold on to that," he hinted. "You'll need it for later."

* * *

_A.N.: Just a little Advent Calendar thing for you all. I'll post a nice little drabble for each day of December leading up to Christmas. :)_

_In my town in Virginia you can find a whole bunch of Civil War stuff in your backyard by looking under a rock. When I was kid, we used to think criminals lived in our home before us because we kept finding bullets and bits of broken glass, and claimed we saw ghosts of the people who were killed. All in a days fun. _


	2. Day Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any of its characters.**

Morning. Stefan twisted from under the covers, wishing he could pull the blanket over his head and sleep for another good twenty years or so.

If only he could.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, the sunlight beating down on his shoulders to supply comforting warmth. Elena is waiting, he urged himself. Time to get up. He almost shoved the covers off the bed when he noticed the box on his nightstand. A familiar, long rectangular box. Damon's Advent Calendar. Stefan could have sworn he had left on the top of the fridge where it could easily be forgotten, but his brother wouldn't give up that easily. Although it did intrigue Stefan as to _what_ his brother had in store, if only the slightest bit.

The first box was indented from where he had opened it last night. Feeling silly, Stefan picked the box up and skimmed the surface looking for the second number. It was located on an ice-skate held by a grinning snowman. Stefan grinned too. The whole idea was stupid, but it was fun. He would much rather go along with Damon's childish idea of an Advent Calendar than end up with his brother staking him every day until Christmas.

He pressed into the number as he had done yesterday and pulled back the makeshift door. Out popped a crystalline figure of a polar bear, although it wasn't much like the cartoon ones shown on the box. This one had a confident stance, one limb placed carefully in front of the other. Stefan perked his eyebrows.

"You know, some say the polar bear represents purity and power."

Stefan looked up at his brother, not at all surprised to find him appear from nowhere. "Says the first website you managed to click on?" He asked twirling the figurine in between his fingers.

Damon shrugged. "I put more thought into this than you think, Stefan," he said aloud flashing him a thousand watt smile.

"Right," he snorted loudly finally dropping his feet to the floorboards and searching for a clean shirt; actions that had been delayed because of Damon's playful mood.

Grinning Damon made his way to the bedroom door. "You have twenty-three more days to think about it. Take your time." The stairs didn't even moan as he disappeared down the hall making Stefan wonder if he really had left.

"Twenty-three more days," Stefan repeated with a sigh. "Only twenty-three more days."

_An: Just so you all understand, I have yet to figure out where this is all going or why all this completely useless junk is popping out. (But obviously, Damon does.) Guess we'll just see how this all falls into place._


	3. Day Three

_**Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers: Death'sAngel18, zozo42, Songofthewolf, and doodlechick12. **_

Stefan pulled his arm away from Elena as he twirled the combination for his locker, happy the end of the day was only a few minutes away. Mechanically he opened the metal door and pulled out the things he had stuffed in there earlier. He was about to close it when Elena stopped him.

"What's that on the top?" She asked pointing to the shelf decorated with textbooks Stefan had abandoned. Resting against his English book was a shape that made him smile secretly.

He reached up and pulled the box down. Elena peeked over his shoulder. "Is that an Advent Calendar? I didn't know vampires celebrated Christmas."

"I didn't used to," he admitted. "I still don't. Its-"

"Damon?" She finished smiling. "You're wonderful, loving brother?'

Stefan chuckled. "That's one way to put it." He skimmed the box, feeling a little bit self-conscious standing in the middle of the hallway. Still, it made him feel good – _almost_ human.

"Found it," Elena chirped pointing to a gold-colored three hidden in the snow.

Smiling Stefan pressed into it. He pulled the item out of the small compartment and held them up for Elena to see.

She touched them briefly, a look of confusement on her face. "Keys?" She asked and hit them gently with the tip of her finger. "Very old keys?"

"Damon substituted with his own little prizes," Stefan explained. "He wants me to think about all the stuff I pull out."

Elena blinked once. "Oh," she muttered. "Doesn't seem much like him."

Stefan shrugged. "Damon likes to play games. And I don't mind playing as long they keep him busy and not eating the remainder of the town's population." He slipped the keys into his pocket. They looked familiar, although he couldn't quite place it.

Everything he had received so far were old things. The bullet was obviously old. The figurine, after he had inspected it more closely, was pretty beat up and not as smooth as the machine made figures he saw today. And the keys, which were large and bulky looking with different layers of dirt and rust.

He shoved the Advent Calendar back in his locker and smiled. Twenty-two more days left.

* * *

_AN: Yup, I still don't have the faintest idea where this is going. I'm brainstorming, but they all sounds pretty weird or they lean on ideas from the books. I guess we'll just have to hope Stefan's next run-in with Damon will give us some more clues. _


End file.
